Jay and the Golden Fleece
by twiinklestar
Summary: What happens when Cronus kidnaps Theresa and Jay must rescue her by getting the golden fleece? This time without Medea's help or Hera's.
1. Million Dollar Smile

--INTRODUCTION--INTRODUCTION--INTRODUCTION--

Jay and the Golden Fleece

**Chapter 1 – Million Dollar Smile**

**Rated T for violence, themes and mild language.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own COTT but I do own my story.**

A/N: If this story seems familiar to you, it probably is. I began writing this story on ficwad, but when leaving ficwad, I left this story behind too. Deciding as of yesterday that I should probably finish it and jazz it up a bit, I conclude that I am rewriting this story. Enjoy!

--Introduction--

It had started out as a normal Saturday morning. All of the titans were fast asleep, snug and tug in their warm, cozy blankets. Some lay peacefully, turned to one side whereas some were hanging off and/or upside down from their beds. (A/N: cough, cough- Archie and Herry.)

But while the snooze crew was, well –snoozing, Sergeant. Cronus 101 was on look out duty. How could this brown haired teenager, a descendant of the great hero Jason, possibly sleep while Cronus _could _be planning something- or for that matter, couldbe _trying _to plan something?

The descendants had gone over it many times. They would thrust their leader, forcefully into his bedroom and throw him his pajamas like he was a five-year-old brat going for a timeout. Then they would leave the room, closing the door behind them and wait for him to get changed. When he was done, they brought him to his bed and got him to lie down. They'd tried everything from lullabies to bedtime stories to just leaving him there until he fell asleep but found all attempts unsuccessful. No matter what, the restless leader would not; could not sleep. The six heroes had realized that stories made him hyper and excited –and in some cases, giddy- and that lullabies made him start to sing. Also, when they had tried leaving him there, saying absolutely nothing at all until he was bored to bed, they found themselves falling asleep instead, waking up in the most uncomfortable positions with kinks that not even Pleione's back massages could get rid of. In the end, the ending to each of these scenarios was equally disturbing for the young teens.

Jay; their leader; top student; top perfectionist; top borer to death; top dawg, could not do something so simple as sleep. Archie had even considered taking him to see a doctor but Jay refused, muttering something about a weird phobia against doctors.

--End of Introduction--

It was 10:00am and everybody was still asleep except for Jay and now, Theresa.

Sitting at the kitchen island munching on a slice of buttered toast and a drinking a hot cup of black coffee, Jay looked around the brownstone, noticing for the first time that it was literally sparkling in cleanliness. It was so clean that anybody (A/N: me for instance), would find it terribly unhealthy. It was clean to a level that was almost too sickening to speak of; it was _that _clean.

Ignoring the sudden urge to pour his hot coffee on the floor and sprinkle the crumbs from his plate onto the counter, he laughed and shook his head. Obviously Athena and Poseidon had another one of those dumb arguments, trying to prove who was the better God. He knew because Athena had the odd habit of cleaning when she was angry and the only thing that made her angrier than Herry's never satisfied hunger, was an argument with Uncle Poseidon. Therefor, if anyone were sick on the account of the dormitory cleanliness, Poseidon would be the one to blame.

Jay rubbed the sleep from his eyes hastily and shook the thoughts out of his head. He'd been up since 5:30am and the lack of sleep was starting to get to him. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a slim, curvy, orange haired beauty making her way sleepily down the stairs sporting fluffy pink bunny slippers and Flinestone's pajamas.

She grabbed the mug that read 'Daddy's Little Angel', and poured herself a cup of steaming, freshly brewed coffee before seating herself at the island, across from Jay. She plopped down and set her chin in her palm, resting her elbow on the table.

"G'Morning," she greeted, half asleep, yawning afterwards.

"Morning sleeping beauty," he smiled.

The drop-dead gorgeous smile of his, the one that always made Theresa smile back and melt onto clouds of joy, had no effect today. Today was different. Today, Theresa could have been mistaken for Ares himself. She didn't even bother to look at him. Jay's 'One in a Million' smile faded as he stared across the table to the girl of his dreams, sulking.

"Something wrong?" he asked, concern certain in his voice.

"Not really, I'm just tired. I couldn't go to sleep last night and now I'm exhausted."

"Maybe you should go back to sleep?" Jay suggested.

"Nah," she said, flicking her wrist. "I'm awake now."

Jay raised an eyebrow and grinned at the grumpy red head.

"Partially," Theresa added, sticking her tongue out and laughing.

Jay's PMR rang, interrupting the beauty's giggles. He pulled it out of his jeans pocket and answered, finding the messenger God, Hermes, smiling hugely back at him.

"What's up Hermes," he asked the hyper God.

Hermes always looked like he had previously been on a sugar high. That's what made him so fast and quick about things, Henry had tried to reason once. Archie just snickered, telling him to believe whatever he believed then saying something along the lines of "The Gods have all sorts of weird plants and bushes in the garden. How should we know what they are." Jay sweat dropped. It was a disgrace to think of the Gods that way. Although- no, he wouldn't think of it any longer.

"Jay? Jay!" he heard Hermes yell.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Hermes. I woke up really early this morning. I guess I'm not really awake yet. But please, go on." He apologized, blinking his eyes to stay focussed.

Hermes looked at him skeptically before continuing. "As I was saying, Cronus was spotted near an old abandoned store at the edge of town. Could you go check it out?"

"Sure," Jay said before shutting off his PMR and returning it to his pocket.

Then, turning to Theresa, he announced "Looks like we've got ourselves a mission,"

Theresa gave a grunt of acknowledgement, going to her bedroom to get dressed. Meeting Jay at the front door, she reached for her numchucks lazily but Jay stopped her.

"Are you sure you're up to it Terry?"

Theresa smiled and looked up at him. She stared into his chocolate brown orbs, filled with concern and care and she nodded her head.

A/N: Okay, I finished the first chapter. I think it's pretty good. Better than the first time, that's for sure. I hope you enjoyed reading. RxR.

**-twiink**

**Interesting Fact: In grade seven, I made an imaginary friend. Guess who it is? ARCHIE! Yes, he was exactly the same as the Archie from Class of the Titans, purple hair and all. My best friend loved him. XP I thought I'd bring him back, just for this story.**

**twiinklestar: So Arch, whatdya think?**

**Archie: So much better. The last one sucked… no offence.**

**twiinklestar: None taken. So do you think it's good.**

**Archie: Yeah. Just when am I coming in though?**

**twiinklestar: Be patient doofus. You'll be in it soon. And I DID mention you. :D**


	2. Misery Loves Company

**Jay and the Golden Fleece**

**Chapter 2 – Misery Loves Company  
Rated T for violence, themes and mild language.  
****Disclaimer: I do not own COTT but I do own my story.**

**A/N: Okay everybody, here's chapter two. Enjoy! And remember, you read it, you review it ;)**

**PS: I do realize that the last chapter format is a bit off. Some things aren't supposed to be there and things aren't bolded. Trust me, it was when I downloaded it so… yeah.**

**PS2: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated. I thought I had put this chapter up but apparently I haven't. I'm a horrible person!**

**FerlindatheDreamweaver – Thank's for favoriting my story. I'm glad I'm back too. I haven't written COTT for a long time now but I thought it was time to get this story finished! ( : If you're new, then here's a belated welcome. Thank your for reviewing.**

**4evacrazy – I'm glad you like it. Thanks for your review.**

**CompetiveSwimmaChick - It's good to hear from you! It's been a long time, I know! Yeah, the good old ficwad days, I agree. Maybe you do see more romance ; ) Can't be sure. Thank you for reviewing. And I apologize that there won't be AS much surprise, but you never know, I may or may not REWRITE an entire chapter :P. Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!**

The two heroes hopped into Theresa's red convertible that she'd got for her sixteenth birthday, not daring to wake the other sleeping titans.

Soon enough, they arrived at the abandoned warehouse where Hermes had instructed them to search. They began inspecting the perimeter but finding it useless having two people search one area, they decided it would be best to split up. Jay took care of the outside and Theresa offered to look inside.

Going around back, he wandered aimlessly through mountains of piled up crates. Upon hearing chatter, he followed the voices. Hiding behind a crate marked 'Fragile', he crouched down, reaching for his PMR to call Theresa.

With his thumb only millimeters away from the 'Call' button, he heard a sudden ear piercing scream; a scream that came from his female companion; one that alerted him that she was in danger.

Quickly standing on his feet, he darted into the building, finding himself in front of a set of stairs. Running up to the next level, he heard her scream again. Going up another floor, her screams stopped.

'_Crap. Come on Theresa, where are you?_' he panicked.

He waited to see if he heard any noises.

THUMP

"Up!" He shouted, sprinting up the next flight of stairs.

Racing down the hall into the main room, he found Theresa being pinned down by Cronus. A black bandana was tied around her mouth preventing speech.

Jay jumped onto Cronus and pushed him off a weak Theresa. They began to wrestle. Cronus pushed Jay into a wall and he was knocked out cold. Cronus rushed over to Theresa who was too weak to defend herself. Picking up a rock and whacking into Theresa's right temple, he knocked her out. With a simple snap of his grimy fingers, a portal was opened and he was gone, taking Theresa with him.

Opening his eyes and blinking to adjust to the bright light, he watched as Cronus snapped his fingers, opening a portal. He tried to get through the portal in time but it closed just as he got there. He fell to the ground and screamed, "Theresa!"

He got up onto his knees and pounded his fist into the grounds, forming a new hold in the old abandoned store. Jay walked limply, arms hanging and shoulders hunched, out of the building. Staring at the ground, he walked up to Theresa's car.

He put the keys in ignition and popped the trunk. Getting out, he found the cover folded neatly and he shook it open, closing the trunk and covering the car. The brunette took the keys out of ignition and walked alongside the buildings. Theresa had never let him drive her car before and he wasn't going to start disobeying her just because she wasn't here. And of course, because misery loves its company, it started to rain.

He continued to walk, letting the rain soak him. He didn't care. Right now, the only thing he cared about was that Theresa had been captured and it was _all_ his fault.

**A/N: This chapter is a little bit short, I understand. But I have to end it here because that way it's sort of cliffy-like. RxR!**

**-twiink**

**twiinklestar: Well Arch?**

**Archie: …**

**twiinklestar: What now Archie? You're such a baby.**

**Archie: I thought you said that I'd be in it!**

**twiinklestar: You will be. Just wait another chapter :P**

**Archie: Hmph, fine then.**

**twiinklestar: Baby.**

**For all the Archie fans, STAY TUNED, Archie is coming up soon.**


	3. Consolation Prize

**Jay and the Golden Fleece**

**Chapter 3 – Consolation Prize  
Rated T for violence, themes and mild language.  
****Disclaimer: I do not own COTT but I do own my story.**

**photo41: Sorry for the long wait. Here is chapter three. I hope you enjoy!**

**elegos-sirinial-shamtul: I know that they're short but I'll try to make them longer. I really will. But this will be the last short chapter-- I hope.**

**A/N: Here is chapter three.**

Jay came through the door of the brownstone one hour later. The five teammates, now wide awake and active, all jumped up when the door was slammed shut roughly. Jay stumbled in through the doorway blindly dripping wet and fell to his knees sobbing. Atlanta and Herry ran from their seats in front of the television set to his side abruptly, Archie, Neil and Odie only two paces behind.

"Jay? What happened?" Atlanta asked trying her best to console the dreamy brunette boy by rubbing his back soothingly.

She kneeled on one side and Herry on the other. Odie took his place beside Herry and Archie to her. Neil stood front and center.

"It's all my fault!" Jay sobbed.

"What's all your fault?" asked Atlanta softly.

"She's gone! He's got her!"

"Who's gone? Who got her?" It was then that Atlanta realized how stupid she must have been. Her other best friend, second to Archie, was nowhere to be seen and here was Jay crying his heart out about a 'her'. "You mean…" she faltered. "Cronus got Theresa!"

Jay nodded solemnly.

"It's my entire fault, I knew she was too weak to fight but I brought her anyways. I should have let her stay home. I could have fought him myself. I should have been protecting her when I knew she was weak. But I didn't and now Cronus has her!"

Neil was shocked. This was far too much drama for him to handle.

"Um… I'm going to get you a glass of water." He stuttered before high-tailing it out of the room quicker than Atalanta herself.

Whilst Neil fetched a glass of water, the four descendants attempted at calming down their bawling leader.

The blonde returned, drink glass in hand. He found Jay now sitting on the couch surrounded by his teammates. He handed his leader the glass, who drank it all in one gulp.

"Whoa! Thirsty are we? Can't even bother to say thank-you," Neil whined, shaking his head in disbelief.

Atlanta's hazel eyes shot a shot a fierce death glare in Neil's direction thus frightening him from saying more.

Neil shifted uncomfortably under the red head's gaze and ran off, even faster than before excusing himself to get Jay another glass of water.

Click. Click. Click.

The steady pace of Odie's superior typing skills alerted the six that he was already one step ahead and searching frantically for the missing girl on his lap top. But as luck would have it, there were no results. Not even good ol' lucky, narcisstic Neil's presence could help him.

"I can't track her. Cronus must have her trapped in another dimension," Odie explained. He hated to be the bearer of bad news.

Disappointment was clearly visible on each of the heroes' faces.

"We should go and tell Hera about this. Come on Jay," Atlanta said as she pulled him up off the cough with as much strength as she could muster.

But like trying to sit up a bag of sand, Jay continued to sulk and slumped back down onto the couch when Atlanta released her grip. The feisty red head's brow creased and she crossed her arms sternly, a sign that she was fed up and an angered Archie took his stand.

"Come on man! Atlanta is just trying to help! Do you want to find your little girlfriend or now?" he snapped.

"Yes," Jay muttered sadly, ignoring the girlfriend part.

"Well then, don't just sit there like a bump on a log. Get off your ass!" ordered Archie.

Jay seemed to find his voice and spoke venomously at his friend. "Well what am I going to do? Odie can't track her! Cronus has her and is probably killing her as we speak (Atlanta gasped). What if it was At-" Jay was cut off.

Archie grabbed the glass of water from Neil's hands causing Neil to shriek.

"You don't have to grab!"

"Water. Drink it up Jay," Archie said with a huge, goofy smile on his face, kind of like he was trying to hide something.

Atlanta raised an eyebrow disapprovingly and snarled, shaking her head and punching him in the arm.

"Doofus."

**A/N: Another short story, I know. I'll try to add more to the chapters or maybe combine a few. But for now, please review.**

**-twiink**

**twiinklestar: Here you go Archie. Are you glad that you're actually in this chapter?**

**Archie: YES! I'm mad at Jay though. He makes me so angry sometimes. Why I oughtta! Boy, if I get my hands on him- Where does he get off being so rude to Atlanta like that? Can't he see that she's a beautiful, talented, amazing, incredible-?**

**twiinklestar: …**

**Archie: I- I mean… She's a… a… a very fast runner and she's a good friend. She deserves some respect don't you think?**

**twiinklestar: … Umm… sure Archie. Whatever you say. Hey Archie, you know you're blushing right now don't you?**

**Archie: Huh? What? I am so not blushing!**

**twiinklestar: Are too. Now run along and go write some more poetry about Atlanta.**

**Archie: Oka- HEY! I don't only write about Atlanta.**

**twiinklestar: Yeah you do. Just go.**

**Archie: Okay, okay.**


	4. The Search Begins

**Jay and the Golden Fleece**

**Chapter 4 – The Search Begins**

**Rated T for violence, themes and mild language.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own COTT but I do own my story.**

**Archie's Note: Please excuse twiinklestar right now. She's in the midst of having a mental breakdown. She accidentally deleted and PM without reading it. She told me to tell you to PM her again right away if it was you (November 16, 2008).**

Jay shrugged, ignoring Archie's odd behavior.

"So what do you guys want to do?" asked Atlanta.

Atlanta looked around the room, examining each lost face carefully.

"Well," began Archie. "I suppose we should go and see the Gods. You know, tell them what happened to Terry."

The other's nodded their head in agreement. Telling the Gods was surely the most logical thing to do. The remaining teenagers rose from their seats and coaxed Jay into Herry's truck. When everyone was settled in, Herry put the car in motion and headed for the school.

---

Upon entering the secret sanctuary of the Gods, Hera was already there to greet them, freezing her frenzied pacing to look at the descendants.

"Odie called us, what has happened?" asked Hera.

"Cronus captured Theresa." Replied Atlanta.

"We are sure of that, but how?" asked Persephone.

The teenagers, as well as the Gods, all turned their heads to face the leader. With so many eyes focused on him, Jay took a deep breath. He knew he was going to have to tell them anyway so there was no point in delaying it.

"Early this morning, Theresa and I were the only ones awake. Hermes called and he said that Cronus had been spotter near an old abandoned store at the edge of town. I told Theresa to stay and get some more rest, but she refused and insisted she come along too. So we left. We didn't want to wake the others just in case it was a mistake. We figured that if something went down, we could always just PMR you guys for backup. When we entered the shop, we searched around a bit but we couldn't find anything. We decided to split up; which I suppose was a stupid thing to do. I took the outside perimeter and Theresa took the inside. I was in the midst of calling her because I heard some voices around back when I heard her scream. I ran into the building to find her fighting with Cronus. He knocked Theresa and I out and pulled her through his portal. I woke up just in time to see him taking her. I jumped but I was too late. She was already gone…" With that, Jay looked down, suddenly finding his shoes very interesting. His far off mind was given away by the distant look in his eyes.

"I see," whispered Hera softly, patting the brunette on the shoulder. "What matters the most Jay, is that you did your best."

And just as if she had become an entirely different person, she spun around and resumed to her job as head Goddess. "Well then, what are we all sitting around here for?" She spoke, clearing her throat.

"Hermes!"- Hermes appeared instantly, floating in the air with his winged sandals – "Help track down Theresa." Hera ordered.

"Yes ma'am,"

---

Right away, the teens and God left in search of their lost teammate. Splitting up into teams of two, they all headed out to search the places in which they thought Cronus might take her. Archie and Atlanta took their skateboards to the apartment that Cronus had rented before; Herry and Odie took the truck back to the abandoned shop and Jay and Neil where responsible for construction site. When they had fully inspected their respective areas, they divided the city into sections, each taking one part among themselves. They had no psychic to clue them as to where Cronus might be hiding, making their search even harder. They continued searching until 12:30 pm. Still: nothing.

---

The library doors slammed open and Hera strode through them furiously.

"Children? Why are you still here? Go back to your dorm as get some rest."

"But-" Jay began to protest but was cut off by the Queen Goddess.

"That's not a suggestion Jay, it's an order; we will resume our search tomorrow. Now go!"

Jay opened his mouth to protest again but stopped when a hand gripped his shoulder. It was Atlanta's.

"Come on Jay. We're all tired." Her eyes seemed to be pleading with him.

Jay looked around at his teammates. Archie was slouching in a chair rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Herry lay his head on the table and yawned. Neil had already fallen asleep on a chair and so was Odie. The African's head was on the table and a book lay in front of him. Whenever he breathed out, the pages would flutter and rustle. Jay knew that he too, was tired but he couldn't stop now, not when Theresa was still missing. He attempted to stifle a yawn but failed and the yawn escaped him. He needed to find Theresa; he had too. But if Cronus were to launch a surprise attack on them right now, the same thing would happen from this morning: everybody would be too weak to fight and Cronus would knock them all out and pull them through the portal. And if that happened, it was bye-bye prophecy – hello hell on earth. With a sigh, he decided that they all deserved a good night's sleep.

"Fine,"

Hera gestured to the door and ushered them out. Atlanta awoke Neil and he stumbled out the doors without muttering a word. Atlanta nodded her head in approval as she walked by Jay, as if to assure him that he made the right choice. Herry gave Jay a friendly punch in the arm, which sent him airborne and flying into the arms of his best friend, Archie.

"She'll be fine Jay. Our girl can defend herself, now go to sleep," he reassured him with a sympathetic smile.

Jay looked at him hopefully and smiled back. "Thanks."

---

No matter how hard he tried, Jay was yet to fall asleep. Sleep was impossible when Theresa was in danger. The notion itself caused him to laugh bitterly. He twisted and turned, the blankets and sheets wrapping tighter and more uncomfortably around his body. He bolted up when he heard a large thud.

He sat up - beads of sweat trailing down his face like streams. His chocolate brown eyes tried to scanned over the dark room for anything that moved. In the dark lighting he couldn't see anything among the gray shadows, but just because he couldn't see anything, didn't mean that there wasn't anything.

He pushed the covers off of his body and his bare feet came in contact with the cold wooden floor. He stood up and walked around a bit, cautiously lifting various items and moving them out of the way.

"Boo!" came a deep, menacing voice.

Jay jumped backwards into a fighting stance. The voice was familiar but he couldn't seem to place a face along with it. His eyes had started to adjust to the light and he could see the dark outline of a man.

"Cronus!" he finally said when the man's scared face came into his vision.

Jay stayed in his battling pose and his hand slowly crept backwards, towards the xiphos on the drawer behind him.

"Relax young Jason," said Cronus with a chuckle.

"What do you want Cronus? Why are you here?" Jay snarled.

Cronus feigned innocence. "Nothing. Is it so wrong that I would just like to talk?"

"Yes," growled Jay, lowering his weapon hesitantly but still keeping it close. "About what?"

"Your dear friend Theresa,"

Suddenly, the days events came rushing back to him. Theresa!

"What have you done with her!" he snapped, raising his xiphos again.

"Why don't you take a look?" Cronus snapped his fingers.

A misty ball appeared above his hand. It was kind of like a crystal ball, but it wasn't because it wasn't solid nor was it made of glass. When Jay tried to touch it, his had passed straight through, so he leaned closer to get a better look instead. The mist cleared and an image of Theresa lying on the ground came into focus.

She was unconscious and badly bruised. Her left eye had a big purplish-grey bruise forming around it. Her shirt and pants were torn and burnt. Where her stomach showed, a large gash could be spotted from miles away. Her arms also had cuts and scratches and her knees were badly skinned.

"Theresa!" Jay whispered remorsefully. He turned to glare at Cronus. "What have you done!? Give her back," he demanded.

"Sorry, I'd like to, but I can't. Not unless you come and get her yourself,"

"Where is she?" he answered impulsively.

"I will tell you but you must win the game to get her,"

_A game? What kind of game? _Jay thought for a minute. He would do anything to get her back.

"Okay Cronus, I'll play your little game. Now where is she?"

"Ah…"

**Archie's Note: Thanks for reading. Now click that review button. And once again, PM twiinklestar right away if it was you. She promises not to delete it this time.**


	5. Trust in Your Choices

**Jay and the Golden Fleece**

**Chapter Five – Trust in Your Choices**

**Rated T for violence, themes and minor language.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own COTT, but I do own my plot.**

**twiinklestar: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to **_**Bella-emerald-eyes**_** who offered to give Archie and I cookies if we updated! :D**

**Archie: Yay, cookies!**

**twiinklestar: Ha! As if you're getting any my cowardly purple-haired friend.**

**Archie: COWARDLY? Me? Yeah right! Who saved Atlanta from the Seephur(sp?) and who learned to swim?**

**twiinklestar: Well, just because you know how to, doesn't mean you do it. Tell me Arch, when was the last time you went swimming? –grins-**

**Archie: Don't call me Arch. Only Atlanta can call me that! -looks down bashfully- And that was the only time I went swimming.**

**twiinklestar: Aww.. there, there Arch. If you smile, I'll give you a cookie.. and this is my story, I'll call you whatever I darn well please!**

When Cronus snapped his fingers, a portal appeared. Jay watched as Cronus stepped into it, looking cautiously into the endless, starry black hole. When a hand stuck through and gestured for him to follow, he took one last look at his surroundings and stepped in carefully.

Slowly, the darkness began to brighten until the portal became a beach. The beach was rocky and the day was sunny and hot. Jay's head was spinning as he looked around, admiring the new scenery.

A large wooden sailboat sat half built on the brim of the sea.

_CLANG, CLANG!_

About thirty or more men were crowded around it, hammering and cursing profusely when the hammer came in contact with a finger. The men wore plain beige tunics. They were poorly shaven and dirty, sweat glistened on their foreheads and biceps. Some of the men stood, scowling and yelling at the men to work harder. A few of them even had whips and were lashing crippled men on the shoreline. One man in particular looked very beaten up. Blood dripped from his wounds as he knelt over, emptying the contents of his stomach over and over again, even when there didn't seem to be anything left. Finally, he collapsed, rolling into his own mess.

Jay yearned to help the man out, but it looked like they didn't exist in this world. Nobody seemed to see them, and a couple men walked away with stunned expressions when they tried to walk through the two but only bounced back. Apparently they were there but they were invisible.

"Jay," Cronus called.

The brunette's head snapped away from the man who had fainted and up to the God of time.

"You must bring me the Golden Fleece. _Without_ the help of Hera, Medea or any other one of those meddling fools who call themselves Gods. And because I have so much confidence that you will do so, surely, in order to save your girlfriend, I'll be generous and let you bring a friend with you. But only one! Choose wisely, young Jason."

Jay gulped. Who was he to choose?

"Your friends will be able to watch you from the TV screen in your dormitory but they will not be able to contact you. The 'Gods' may also watch if they would like and only they can contact you. But remember if you get help from any of them, any help whatsoever, you will fail your mission and I will kill dear Theresa immediately!"

The leader nodded and agreed to the circumstances. And with that, they were both transported back to Jay's bedroom. Jay looked around, and sighed in relief. He was glad to see his bed and other belongings again; anything would have been better than the horrors on the beach.

"I will come back today at noon. You must have your friend chosen by then or else you will be going alone."

"Yes, Cronus." Jay said quietly as Cronus disappeared.

---

Jay sat down on his bed and leaned his head in between his knees. He felt sick. The brunette wondered if this was how the redhead felt when she had been pulled into Cronus's portal, but no- she probably felt way worse. Right now, she was probably beaten and crippled, lying in her own vomit, just like that old man on the beach. Jay slapped himself roughly upside the head for being so pessimistic. _No way! Terry is strong. She'll pull through, I'm sure of it._

With a glance to the clock on his desk, Jay decided that it would be best to get some rest and figure out who to bring with him in the morning. He would need lots of sleep if he was to find the Golden Fleece the following day.

---

At nine o'clock, Jay awoke and went downstairs to make breakfast. He grabbed a mug from the cupboard and filled it to the brim with steaming, black coffee. Then he sat down with a pen and paper in hand, and began to make a Pros and Cons list. The list read:

_**Archie**__  
Pros:_

_-good fighter_

_-knows mythology_

_-strong_

_-pretty smart_

_-determined_

_-competitive_

_  
Cons:_

_-bad ankle_

_-only works well with Atlanta_

_-argues too much_

_-afraid of water__**Atlanta:**__  
Pros:_

_-good fighter_

_-fast_

_-strong_

_-smart_

_-good at brainstorming_

_-determined_

_-competitive_

_  
Cons:_

_-only works well with Archie_

_-a bit too competitive__**Herry:**__  
Pros:_

_-strong_

_-good fighter  
_

_Cons: _

_-not so smart_

_-doesn't know much about mythology_

_-needs to eat lots of food__**Odie:**__  
Pros:_

_-smart_

_-knows his mythology_

_-can brainstorm well_

_-plans well_

_  
Cons:_

_-cannot fight_

_-needs his laptop_

_**Neil:**_

_Pros:_

_-lucky_

_-…_

_Cons:_

_-too self-confident_

_-whiney_

_-won't get dirty_

_-can't fight_

_-when the going gets tough, Neil gets going_

_-etc._

Good. He sipped his coffee. Now that he had this, he would need to work out the qualities that he actually needed on their journey. His second list read:

_Push the boat off of the shore: Herry_

Fighting the giant: Herry, Archie, Atlanta

Strategizing: Odie, Archie, Atlanta

Fighting Amazon warriors: Archie, Herry, Atlanta

Rowing the boat at a quick pace: Archie, Herry, Atlanta

Fighting dragon: Archie, Herry Atlanta

Fighting Harpies: Archie, Atlanta, Herry

Next, he added up the points. Herry, Archie and Atlanta all had six, Odie had one and Neil had zero. He stared at the list, deep in thought. Since Herry, Archie and Atlanta were all tied, it was difficult to choose between them. He couldn't choose between is friends, especially not between Archie and Atlanta. If one found out that the other had been chosen over himself or herself, all of the Underworld would break loose!

For an hour, Jay pondered this choice. There had to be some way to get around this. Suddenly, the imaginary light bulb in the leader's head lit up, an idea striking him. Maybe, just maybe, Cronus would let him bring two people.

Running up to his room, Jay called out demandingly: "Cronus!"

Cronus –who had been watching through his magic pool- appeared suddenly through his portal.

"What is it young Jason?"

Jay looked at him, surprised in the haste of his arrival. Blinking a few times, he answered: "I want to make an offer with you."

Cronus looked at him skeptically. "And what exactly would that be?"

Jay took a breath, checking his list one more time before speaking. "If I can bring two friends with me, you can add one more challenge."

Cronus thought it over. _Hmm.. if there are three of them, I know that at least one, if not all, of them will die. There's no way that they will be over to overcome the challenges. And after they're dead, I'll kill Theresa too and only three of them will be left.. Jay, you are indeed a smart boy._

Cronus cleared his throat and tried to speak indifferently. "Okay Jay, you can have your two friends."

Once Cronus had gone, Jay looked around suspiciously. The though of the God appearing so quickly after his calling creeped him out to say the least.

---

Now, it was 10:30 and the descendants were beginning to wake up. Soon, they were all dressed and eating in the living room when Jay established this an appropriate time to make his announcement.

"Everybody, I know how to get Theresa back."

They all stared at him instantly, astonishment written clearly on their faces.

"How?" Archie asked.

Jay looked at his team nervously. Would they be mad at him for not telling them? He came to the conclusion that even if they were mad at him, they'd still help to find Theresa.

"Cronus paid me a visit last night and he told me how to find Terry. I have to bring him the Golden Fleece and he'll free her. At first he said that I could only take one of you with me, but I offered another challenge in exchange for two partners. We're not allowed to have any contact with the Gods, but them, as well as yourselves, will be able to watch us on the TV. If the Gods do contact us," he gulped. "-he'll kill Theresa instantaneously."

---

At twelve o'clock sharp, Cronus appeared. The teens stood in their battle stances, prepared to strike at any given time. Without even sparing a glance at them, Cronus strolled in a beeline toward the brunette leader.

"I don't have time for your silly games Jay. Now who will you choose?"

Jay looked apologetically at his teammates. "Please don't be offended if I didn't choose you. You're all great but-" Cronus cut him off.

"Skip the pity speech and get on with it!" he ordered.

Jay sighed. "Okay, I choose…"

**A/N: So Ferlinda the Dreamweaver pointed out to me that Cronus is actually not able to get into the dorm and I apologize for not recognizing this sooner. But that's just how this story goes.. Perhaps Cronus's tiny pea brain got an update (Yes CSC, just like the green review button) and he figured out how to get in.. Make sense? And wow, that first part used to be like.. three paragraphs long and it turned into (Wait for it…) 14! Wow!**

**I'm aware that there were a few mistakes in the previous chapter, but I guess it's too late to fix it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The green button is calling you! RxR!**

**Archie: Now that that's over with, where's my cookies!?**

**twiinklestar: Yes, about those cookies… Oh yeah! If you already know who gets picked, DON'T TELL!**


	6. The Earth Shakes

**Jay and the Golden Fleece**

**Chapter Six – The Earth Shakes**  
**Rated T for violence, themes and minor language.**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own COTT, but I do own my plot.**

**twiinklestar: Sorry that it's taken me so long to get this up and posted. I've been working a lot lately. Working sucks and humans are pigs.**

**Archie: You're human.**

**twiinklestar: Well at least I can pick up my own garbage! And I don't eat fast food every half hour.**

**Archie: People do that?**

**twiinklestar: YES! And it's digusting! Anyways, here it is. Those who have already read the story already know this:**

With a glance to the ground, Jay muttered: "I choose Atlanta and Archie."

Henry, Odie and Neil didn't seem the least bit surprised. After all, they were the best tag team between the seven of them.

Cronus hardly gave them time to say their goodbyes. "Good. Now follow me." His hoarse voice croaked as he showed them through the portal.

Atlanta and Archie shrugged, following Cronus and Jay into the portal. Once again, the starry, dark background faded into the sandy beach where Jay had been only a few hours prior; the only difference was that now, the boat was finished and the builders were attempting to push it off of the rocky beach and into the clear blue water. Evidently, it was not working.

A cold tone reminded the three of their task. "On the land, there are forty-four men; all slaves or peasants. They will be the people to help you on your voyage." He turned around, about to leave, but then craned his neck to add slyly: "-or at least try to."

With that, he spun around again and disappeared, leaving the lost trio to fend for themselves.

**And so the journey began…**

Somehow, in the midst of the time-skip, Jay, Archie and Atlanta's clothing had all changed. They were now wearing clothing that suited the time-period they were in: Ancient Greece. Atlanta wore a green dress-like tunic (much to her dismay), Jay wore a cream colored tunic and Archie's was dark blue. Each of them had their own pair of brown, leather warrior sandals.

Finding nothing else to do, they headed in the direction of the ship. They helped the rest to push but it was no use. Digging trenches around the bottom of the boat, they pushed harder, making slow but steady progress. About one and a half hours (and a couple minor injuries) later, the boat finally floated atop the waters surface. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Jay kept a mental note of keeping the ship in the water and not on the land, just in case they were in need of a quick escape.

Forty-six men and one woman loaded the sturdy wood boat. Forty-two men took their places beside an oar - 21 men on each side - and five people went to the head of the boat. One of the men was Orpheus, a musician. He played his drum, keeping a steady beat for the rowers. Zetes, the star mapper, told Jay - who stood at the front and steered the ship – where to go. Archie and Atlanta sat down on a bench engaging in conversation while they waited for one of the oarsmen to tire.

Archie sat next to Atlanta, gripping the underside of the bench tightly, trying his best to calm down his hydrophobia. His face was visibly pale-green and beads of sweat trickled down his cheeks like streams. It was also apparent that he was somewhat shaking. He bit his tongue to keep his teeth from chattering.

"Calm down Archie! We'll be fine!" Atlanta said comfortingly as she took his hand after managing to peel open his tight grasp.

A faint red tinge coated the purple-haired boy's hair.

"I am calm and I know we'll be fine." He said strongly, trying his best to sound confident.

Atlanta rolled her eyes at his stubbornness and let go of his hand.

"Fine, if you're just going to deny your fear, then I'll just walk away and leave you here to suffer all by yourself." With a indignant huff she stood up, crossing her arms across her chest.

She took one step forward and stopped when she felt a clammy hand grab her bicep. Atlanta turned around to find her friend on his knees, quivering and basically begging for her to stay. She laughed and with a smirk, helped him off of the ground and back onto the bench, once again taking his hand in hers.

---

Several long hours later, the ship hit a rock, jolting Archie and Atlanta out of their sleep roughly. The map maker stood up hastily with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What is it Zetes? What's wrong?" asked Jay.

Frantically looking around at his surroundings, Zetes answered, "There should be no land here."

"Are you sure?"

The star mapper nodded. "The Gods have given me the power to see beyond what any other man can see. Yes, I am very sure."

Jay placed a hand on Zetes shoulder, thanking him, before turning around to the rest of the crew. "One of you, Atlanta and I will check out this mysterious island. Everybody else stays here, okay?" After the crew agreed, Jay spoke again. "So which one of you wants to come?"

Hylas, a young servant of Hercules, raised his hand without hesitation.

Jay gestured to him. "What is your name?"

"Hylas, sir."

"Hylas," Jay said with a warm smile. "You may come with us on one condition."

"Anything at all, sir."

"Please don't call me sir." Hylas looked at him confusedly.

"What should I call you then?"

Jay stuck his hand out. "Call me Jay."

"Yes, Jay," Hylas shook his hand and spoke his name awkwardly. It seemed that he was adjusting to the name of his leader though.

Jay grinned.

"Atlanta, Hylas, come with me."

---

The ship wasn't too far away from the land. The water was about waist deep when the three of them climbed down the ladder and plunged into the ice-cold water. Jay, Atlanta and Hylas treaded through the water and began to wade out to the land. Atlanta shivered and rubbed her forearms to warm her body up. Hylas continued his trek with a determined look on his face. Jay looked over at him and wondered: _'What is he trying to prove?' _

When they reached the land, Jay examined the area. The land wasn't very big. It was about the size of New Olympia High's gymnasium. The ground was soft, gray and clay-like. A couple of boulders were placed randomly and rocks covered the mushy ground. The only greenery was the patches of moss that stuck out from cracks in the ground. There were no houses or people; no signs of life anywhere.

"Well, first things first. Let's see how stable this place is before going any further." Jay picked up a piece of driftwood and stabbed in into the ground in order to test out its stability.

Suddenly, the land began to rise and shift around.

Atlanta, who was standing on the edge, lost her balance and slipped on the wet rocks.

She let out a high-pitch scream.

Archie watched as she continued to fall downward into the deep, freezing water. "Atlanta!"

---

As the ground rose, it started to tip sideways until it was straight up and down, causing Atlanta to lose her balance. While she continued her downward plunge, she reached forward as far as she could and grabbed a root that was sticking out from a rock and held on for dear life. Above her, Jay stood on a rock ledge and from further away, the ship crew could tell that the moving 'island', now took the appearance of a giant man made out of stone, moss and dirt.

"It's a giant!" shouted one of the men from the boat. "-a monster!" He bolted from the front of the ship to the very back, wanting nothing more than to be as far away as possible.

Hylas lost his balance too and cascaded into the deep, frigid waters beneath him. Two men threw him a rope in which he took hold of and was pulled back onto the boat safely, with nothing more than a slight case of the goose bumps.

From where Archie could see, Atlanta was hanging from a vine (part of the man's beard) and Jay was sitting on the man's nose. He watched as Atlanta grasped another vine and began to climb up the beard, heaving herself up onto a small ridge that was the giant's mouth, hundreds of feet from the water below. She stood up on the man's upper lip carefully as Jay reached his hand out to her as far as his limbs could handle. Then, he pulled her up with all the strength and balance he could muster so that she too stood on the man's nose. The two took deep breaths, leaning their back against the giant's head, right between his eyes.

They both looked down at the water and then at each other.

"Well Jay, at least my crossbow won't break its nose of this time, right?" Atlanta joked awkwardly and she rubbed her forearm.

"I guess not." The leader said, laughing awkwardly as well.

Without warning, the stone man began to shake his head viciously almost throwing off his two boarders. Then, he stopped abruptly and the brunette searched frantically for a way to save themselves and defeat the giant.

_'What would Jason do? What would Jason do?'_ panicked Jay in his mind. He was too nervous to even remember. _'Let's see… there's rocks and dirt and moss; In other words, nothing that will help us. The ship isn't very far away but it would be impossible to jump from this height. Plus, if the giant takes one step forward, the boat and everyone on it is doomed!'_

**---**

Three teens and a few of the Gods and Goddesses watched as their friends quivered, hanging by the threads of a man's rocky nose, through the television in which Cronus had put a spell on.

Herry sat on the lounge chair, teddy bear in lap and popcorn bowl in hand. It seemed that he was going to eat away at his fear, literally. Neil had resorted to biting his oh-so-perfect nails as the tension increased. The Gods and Goddesses watched, their eyes wide with fright as they muttered hushed prayers to one another, wishing for the safety of the descendants. The only God who wasn't calm was Hermes who was huddled in a ball in front of the TV screen, watching through the spaces between his fingers.

"Come on Jay! Think! You can do this! Just tell the men to lead the giant into the deeper water! It'll drown! Remember? That's how Jason did it!" Odie yelled, pressed his face against the screen and banging his fist on the side impatiently.

**---**

_Flick. Flick._

Jay continuously flicked his head. Something kept repeating itself in his head. A nagging, pestering feeling pulsed in the depths of his mind. Suddenly, the incoherent words were strung together, forming a sentence.

It will drown. That's what it said.

Instantaneously, his face lit up like lights on a Christmas tree.

---

Atlanta stared down at the water. If she looked almost straight down, the water appeared to be bluish-gray but if she looked further out, it was black ebony. She blinked her eyes and shook her head. It was awfully deep but she needn't waste her time worrying about that right now. After shuddering, she looked hopefully to her leader. He looked confused. But when she waited a little longer, she watched his face transition from annoyance to excitement. A feeling of relief washed over her.

"Please tell me that you have a plan Jay!" she begged.

"It will drown." Jay said, glancing gladly at the water and then at her. "Atlanta, I need you to climb down the giant. When you're close enough that you can jump without hurting yourself, dive down into the water and swim to the boat. Tell the men that they need to row farther into the depths. When the water gets too deep, the giant will drown."

Atlanta thought the plan over. It seemed reasonable but there was one question flooding her mind: "What about you?"

"I'll have to jump off just before he drowns. Since I have to catch up to you, don't go too far ahead." If Theresa would have heard the carelessness in his voice, she would have definitely caused a scene but Atlanta refused to start a fight in their current situation.

"Okay," Atlanta said uneasily.

"Go!" Jay ordered.

---

Slowly, Atlanta made her way down the giant figure. She gripped tightly to rocks, roots and moss. Twice, she slipped and skidded down the rocky body but she never fell off. Twenty minutes later, Atlanta had arrived at the giant's calf. She was approximately seventy feet from the waters surface.

_'Okay Jay. Here I go.'_ She thought as she dove into the freezing sea. She cut through the surface with her hands, her lean form following and she came up for a breath. Using her hand, she brushed her bright, sopping wet hair backwards.

The men on the ship cheered, all rushing to the front of the boat to congratulate her. At the front of them all was Archie. He was taking a huge sigh of relief and wore a goofy grin.

Atlanta smiled and gave a thumbs up before she swam up to the boat. She reached up a hand and Archie willingly pulled her up onto the boat and gave her a friendly hug in which Atlanta returned gladly.

"Good job Lan!" he congratulated.

"Thanks Archie."

One of the men handed Archie a towel and he draped it over his friend's shoulders. Afterward, he wrapped his arm around her shaking body to keep her warm.

Just as she was about to nuzzle deeper into the warm embrace, Atlanta remembered her leaders plan.

"Everybody, I have orders!" Atlanta announced. The crew members all grabbed an oar and focused their attention on the girl. "Jay says to sail the boat way into the deep water. Let the giant follow us and when the water gets too deep, he'll eventually drown."

Right away, the ship mates began to row steadily into the depths. They rowed quickly, as fast as their arms could bare and just as planned, the giant followed behind them. With each step the giant took, a giant wave sent the boat gliding forward. Atlanta turned around and watched as the giant followed behind them. The giant was quite far behind.

"Stop!" she called as everybody stopped rowing. "Let's just wait for him to catch up a bit. Each step he takes sends us deeper anyway. We can't be too far away or else Jay will never make it back."

With that, the men all set down their oars and sat down in the rows. They let their arms dangle, devoid of all feeling since they had rowed so fast. They bent over their legs, heaving and huffing, glad that they could take a short break. It was a couple more minutes before the giant would catch up with them so they busied themselves with chatting.

---

Meanwhile, Jay waited patiently for Atlanta's descend. Every once in awhile, he'd check to see how far down she'd gotten. He watched as she dove off into the darkness and smiled triumphantly when her head bobbed above sea level again. Then the boat started to move.

Jay gulped nervously. _'I hope this works.'_

As if he controlled the giant itself, it began to walk. With every step, Jay's head jerked forwards and his grip on the slimy stones would tighten. He clamped his eyes shut firmly. All the jolting around was making him queasy. When he was felt like he could keep his breakfast down, he opened his eyes to see the ship and how far away it was.

_'No! Slow down you guys! Slow down!'_ He yelled in his head, hoping that by whichever force he was able to hear Odie, the boat would be able to hear him.

Like magic, the ship halted.

**---**

Atlanta looked down. Sure enough, the water was pitch black. Archie tried to contain himself as much as possible, but he couldn't resist clinging onto both his friend and the ships mast for dear life. As a wave smashed into the ship, Archie's grip tightened, causing Atlanta to giggle. She looked up at her purple haired friend.

"Don't worry Arch, we'll be fine. The ship won't sink or anything and you won't have to swim anywhere." She said reassuringly, placing a hand on his back, hoping to coax him to sit on the bench with her.

"I'm not scared of that, I'm just scared for Jay." Archie retaliated a little too quickly.

Atlanta rolled her eyes.

"Fine then Archie, I want to go for a swim." She said, pulling him towards the edge of the boat.

Archie panicked and ripped his arm from her grip.

"Let's not and say we did."

Atlanta shook her head and laughed. If anyone knew her best friend, it was her. She knew well enough that he was scared to pieces but he was too much of a macho-man to admit it.

Suddenly, the ship started to shake and Atlanta spun around faster than the speed of light.

"Giant!" She shouted frightened. She had been so busy laughing at Archie that she had forgotten to watch out for the giant.

With remarkable speed, the rowers picked up their oars and rowed fast, faster then they had before. The boat was just ahead of the giants foot fall. Abruptly, the ship was thrust forward and a tidal wave came crashing down on them. Luckily nothing but a few rags and a soapy water bucket were swept away. Atlanta sputtered, spitting out a mouthful of sea water.

Atlanta looked around desperately for her friend who had formerly been by her side and was now nowhere in sight. Finally, she spotted him. Archie was now seated on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest and shaking vigorously. She darted over to him. True, the wave had landed on them all, but Archie was a hydrophobic.

"Archie? Archie! Archie, are you okay?" She asked in a panic.

Although it was hardly audible, she could hear him mumbling to himself: "I'm not afraid of water. I'm not afraid of water. I'm not afraid of water." Repeatedly, he chanted his mantra over and over again.

Helplessly, Atlanta sat down beside him and placed her hand on his knee, making him aware that he wasn't alone. She leant her head on his shoulder and talked to him soothingly.

"It's okay Arch. Everything's going to be all right…"

**---**

Behind them, the giant began to sink. His head was submerged beneath the water and it tried desperately to grab on to something, anything, but only air met its hands. The giants arms flailed around him hectically and his legs kicked around in the water. Jay gripped the nose so furiously that the rocks had started to cut his hands. The stinging sensation was almost unbearable and he wanted nothing more than to let go and just jump which would probably mean drowning himself in the process. So instead, he ignored the pain. Sooner or later the giant would have to give up. He couldn't keep this up forever. And then he did.

It let itself slowly sink and drown. When the giant's nose was at sea level, Jay dove into the abyss and swam to the ship's ladder. There, he was pulled up by one of the crew members.

**A/N: Okay, finished for this chapter. *Yawns* It is 1AM right now and I am tuckered out. I've been busy with vacation and working and studying for exams lately so I apologize for the late update. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's had the most revising so far. It started out about… 3 pages long and now it's 7! I think that this chapter, chapter six, is actually chapters 9-11 in the original piece. Anyways, I hope you guys all had a wonderful holiday and happy belated 2009!**

**Archie: It's a little late don't you think.**

**twiinklestar: Oh just shut it water boy.**


	7. A Hopeless Battle

**Jay and the Golden Fleece**

**Chapter Seven – A Hopeless Battle**

**Rated T for violence, themes and minor language.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own COTT, but I down own my plot.**

**Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to ****Yagami Neko**** who reminded me of the good ol' COTT days and also reminded me that I needed to update this story. :D**

**twiinklestar: I apologize immensely for the extremely slow update. Hopefully I will be able to make amends by doing a double update today :S That is if I my mom stops badgering me to do chores. This first chapter is going to be very short.**

And of course, upon being rescued by his team, Jay being, well… Jay, had no time for fun and celebrations therefore orders were given for the ship immediately.

"Zetes, where do we sail?" he asked in a loud and clear voice.

"According to this map, we sail north." Zetes replied almost timidly as he traced a finger over an imaginary line on the scroll of paper.

"North it is. Rowers, get into your positions!" ordered Jay.

The shipmates groaned, exhausted after their battle with the giant but got into their positions nonetheless. They were still a bit hyped up from the previous adventure and couldn't help themselves from chatting animatedly with their companions. The endless chatter got louder and louder until Jay could hardly hear the faint beat of Orpheus's drum. He turned around, a look of determination on his face, and was just about to order everyone to focus on their rowing and less on their talking when Atlanta reached up and grabbed his wrist.

He looked down at her. Archie was asleep on her shoulder and his face still had a sea-foam green tint to it. Ironic that he should be feeling sick because of the sea yet his face was the same color.

"Come on Jay. Just let them be. We've all had an exciting day and wouldn't you rather them talk out their energy rather than beat it out of each other? I'm sure they'll quiet down eventually. If Archie can fall asleep to their racket then I'm sure you'll be fine to ignore it for a little while longer. Please Jay?"

Jay sighed and resentfully sat down beside Atlanta. "Fine. But if any one of them loses their beat and this ship goes down, I'm telling Archie that you're afraid of centipedes."

Atlanta's eyes widened. Punching him on the arm playfully she gasped, "You wouldn't! And it's not my fault! They have so many legs; it's repulsive!"

---

Two days of rowing went on like this until they came to the island of Pontus. Jay informed the men that they'd be taking a short break on the small island. Recalling the first time they tried to get the boat off of the shore, the brunette instructed the men to stop the boat a dozen meters from shore where the water was shoulder deep. As expected, Archie refused to swim to the land.

"Uh, uh - no way!" he protested.

"Oh come on Archie! It's just water. It's not like it's going to bite you or anything." Atlanta teased.

"The water itself may not, but the things inside of it sure will!" the purple haired teen argued back, determined to stay on the boat.

"Come on Archie! Don't be such a baby." Confronted Jay, also in a teasing manner.

"You're not hydrophobic." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Even if you do stay here, you can't stay here alone." Jay said, insisting that Archie get over his fear and come to land.

"Just watch me." Archie snarled.

"You need at least one companion and -" the leader tried to be reasonable.

"I'll stay with him." Volunteered Atlanta, cutting Jay off and switching sides in the battle.

"What if something happens?"

"We're prepared. We've been fighting against Cronus for the last two years or so now." They pointed out.

"Do you know where everything is?" Jay asked, desperate for a reason for them to come on land.

"Yes, the weapons are below the deck, first door to your right. Food is in the back room. Spare blankets are under your bed. The mop and bucket are in the closet beside the bathroom. Anything else?" Atlanta answered smartly.

"And you promise that if anything goes wrong, you'll _both _abandon ship and _swim_ to land to notify me_ immediately_?"

"Yes Jay!"

Jay looked back and forth between them. He really didn't want to leave them here by themselves. What if something happened? The leader knew he could trust them. Like they'd said, they'd been fighting Cronus for more than two years now. And he knew that they were the best tag team. That was why he had chosen them, wasn't it? He looked at their goofy, hopeful smiles and sighed.

"Okay. You guys can stay here. But make sure that if anything, _anything at all_ goes wrong, you will tell me."

"Yes sir!" they saluted.

Archie gave Jay an immature 'ha-ha-in-your-face' grin and thanked Atlanta for joining him. Jay glared at the two.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, "Just be careful." He added for good measure.

"_Just be careful_." Mocked the two friends.

Jay placed his hands on a nearby sail and whacked his head on it. _'Why, why, _why_ do I even bother?' _he asked himself despairingly.

Atlanta and Archie laughed at the pain that they were causing their leader, and also at the fact that he was banging his head on a pole.

---

Quickly, the men jumped off of the ship and swam to the land, where they found food, water, wood and…

**twiinklestar: Wow! This chapter almost doubled in length. But it is still extremely short ): But I hope you guys liked it. I may or may not be able to post another chapter tonight because like I said, my mom keeps harassing me to clean XP**

**Archie: Ugh, moms.**

**twiinklestar: I know! Oh well… I guess I should go and start. Crap.**


End file.
